


Girl Talk

by Sharm



Series: Talking it Out [1]
Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-15
Updated: 2016-07-15
Packaged: 2018-07-24 02:49:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,741
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7490313
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sharm/pseuds/Sharm
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Nino gets Adrien to admit what he really thinks about a certain mutual friend.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Girl Talk

**Author's Note:**

> I'm just going to be brave and post this. I am normally very, very bad at finishing any of my writing and even worse about sharing it.
> 
> I chose the title because they're talking about girls and it's normally not the kind of discussion guys would have. Stealth pun.

Nino finished off his sandwich and attempted to toss the wrapper into the trash. No such luck. He should have let Adrien do it, the guy could always hit the shot no matter how far the can was, or how unsuitable the item being thrown. He'd intended to grab the wrapper and try again, but Adrien beat him to it. That was just how his bro was, always doing nice things without being asked or even having to think about it. Nino sat back with a satisfied sigh. Now that he'd made a nice dent in the daily hunger pains he could sip his drink and actually get to the point of this little outing of theirs. He eyed his best friend.

  
"I've been wondering about this for a while now. What do you think of Marinette?" Normally he wouldn't care all that much, but Alya had been on his case to find out, and it had set off his own curiosity. Adrien acted different around Marinette.

  
Adrien blinked at him. "Again Nino? I thought you were over her and had decided you and Alya were a better match."

  
"Not for me, you lame-o." Nino wasn't ready to admit it to her, but Alya really was a much better fit. Once you got past the obsessive theories and that all or nothing personality, she was just as sweet as Marinette and a lot more down to earth and reliable, and they had a lot of common interests. In the end he found he liked that obsessive personality too, he needed that kind of passion and crazy in his life. And those curves just killed him.

  
"What? Are you trying to set her up with someone? I know Nathaniel has a crush on her but that would just be weird."

  
"No I'm no-- Wait. Why would that be weird?"

  
"He did the whole 'kidnapping means love' thing." Adrien punctuated his remarks with air quotes and a disgusted expression. "Marinette would be creeped out by it, don't you think?"

  
"I don't think so, dude. Marinette doesn't hold being turned into an Akuma against anyone. Besides, that's how Ivan and Milene got together." Nino tapped his chin thoughtfully. He was awfully invested in who Marinette might or might not date. Yeah, Nathaniel had gone all stalker Akuma on her, but Adrien's reaction wasn't the norm for him. He hadn't blamed Nino for the whole birthday fiasco, he usually made a point of giving extra positive attention to someone after they'd been akumatized, why would he hate on Nathanial? The kid was really passive but nice enough, and he and Marinette did have a lot in common. There was only one real reason for Adrien to dislike the guy. "Oh, I get it. You're jealous of Nathaniel."

  
"Why would I be jealous of Nathaniel and not of you?"

  
"I don't know, dude, but my whole thing for her was so bizarre. You were pushing crazy hard for that one. I wouldn't have even had that crush in the first place if you hadn't pushed."

  
"What are you talking about?"

  
"Hey Nino, don't you think Marinette's hair look nice today?" Nino's voice was mocking "Hey Nino, did you see Marinette stand up to Cloe? Pretty cool, huh? Hey Nino, check out how bright blue Marinette's eyes are. Hey Nino, you've been staring at Marinette a lot lately, do you have a crush on her?"

  
"I didn't--"

  
"Dude, you totally did. What was with that?" He waved his arm dismissively. "You're totally crushing on her. Using me as an excuse to stare. Don't think I haven't seen you leaning in or grabbing her shoulders any chance you get. And don't get me started on the kissing thing."

  
"What kissing thing?!" Adrien spluttered.

  
"When we were doing the film? I've got documented evidence that you were into it. We could even compare and contrast how you acted with Chloe when she was in the same position, so you can't even try to beg off with a 'just friends' excuse, since you seem to still count Chloe as one. Too bad you and Marinette never actually kissed."

  
Adrien gave him a flat stare. "Nino, if I wanted to ask someone out I'd just do it. I don't get the point of being all flustered about it."

  
"Prove it."

  
"What?"

  
"Ask her out after school today. Prove to me that you won't become a complete disaster of nerves."

  
"I'm not going to ask her out on a dare, Nino. That's cruel. You know she's got a huge crush on me."

  
Nino did a spit take. "You _knew_?" Adrien gave him a disgusted look and handed him a few napkins.  Nino wiped himself up and the table as best as he could.

  
"Yeah." Adrien said it like it was totally obvious. Well, it _was_ totally obvious. "It's too bad. I only caught a glimpse of the real Marinette on my first day. After that it was all stammers and blushes and what I can notice when she doesn't realize I'm there or when she's too distracted. If you'd dated her then she might have gotten over it a little and we could have actually been friends."

  
Nino was surprised. Adrien was at least aware that he really liked Marinette and want to get to know her better. "So it's what, a platonic crush?"

  
Adrien brightened visibly at that. "Yeah. Platonic Crush. That's exactly it."

  
"Except that platonic friends wouldn't be jealous of Nathaniel."

  
"I'm not jealous!"

  
Nino rolled his eyes. "Dude, you straight up glared at him when you found out he was drawing her. I saw you." Okay, so that was a lie, he could only really see the back of Adrien's head that day, but Adrien had been clearly looking at Nathanial, not Chloe, and his body language was weird, like he was ready to fight. Normally when Chloe was on one of her rampages he'd flinch back, like he was the one being attacked. Nino wasn't usually one to clue in to those sorts of things, but he'd automatically geared up for a fight too before realizing much later that it was his friend's posture that set him off.

  
"I didn't glare at him. I was worried he'd turn into an Akuma. And I was right."

  
"Why are you even denying this? Is there a reason you don't want to be crushing on Marinette? And don't you dare bring up Ladybug. That's not even a reason, bro."

  
Silence. The dude could sulk like a pro.

  
"Not going to answer?"

  
"You said I couldn't bring up Ladybug."

  
"Okay, but you don't have any _other_ reason not to, right?"

  
"I could do without the crush."

  
"You'd want her to stop crushing before dating? That's messed up. _Why?_ "

  
"She fell for the stupid Ken doll image my father forces me to wear. Why would I want a girl to like me for that?"

  
"So you think she'll find out what you're really like and immediately fall out of love?"

  
"Of course she would."

  
Nino paused and frowned.  Adrien didn't seem the type, since he was crazy handsome and rich and popular, and he didn't show it often, but the guy had some serious self esteem issues.  The poor guy was so certain that if he dropped his "Mr. Perfect" persona that no one would like him at all.  "She's not shallow you know."

  
"I know that, but I can't get her to interact with me like a real person either. I try to encourage her to open up, but she freaks out and shuts down. It's impossible."

  
"So just stop being so Ken doll around her and throw in those stupid puns so she's forced to get to know the real you."

  
"I can't act like myself in class. My father would find out and that would be a disaster."

  
"Okay, point. But dude, we do stuff just the four of us all the time. Just be yourself _then_."

  
"I can't do that to Marinette. She _likes_ the Ken doll."

  
"Unless you're actually crushing on her, what do you care if her fantasy boy image of you is shattered?"

  
Adrien blushed. "I don't.  I mean,  I can't. . . .  Oh my gosh, I have a crush on her."

  
Nino sighed. "About time you admitted it."

  
"I can't crush on Marinette! I'm in love with Ladybug!"

  
"You seriously _need_ to get over that." Although Ladybug did seem unusually _invested_ in his friend that time they met during that hypnotist's attack. She was clearly blushing and stuttering at the sight of him, so it wasn't necessarily a lost cause. But that would make Ladybug more of a fangirl than Marinette, and there was no way that could be a healthy relationship, especially when his best bud was fangirling at least as hard, probably more.

  
"I'm serious about Ladybug, Nino."

  
"Yeah, sure. Serious about a girl you've interacted with exactly three times. Where you spent most of it staring in awe or hiding in your shower."

  
"I wasn't hiding in my shower!"

  
"It's the model in me? Dude."

  
Adrien opened and closed his mouth, unable to form an answer.

  
"What, were you hoping she'd chase in after you?"

  
Adrien's entire head and most of his neck went bright red. " _NO!_ "

  
"Okay dude, but really? If you want my advice I think you should quit mooning over the superhero you can't catch and go for the awesome girl who actually does have a real chance of liking you for who you really are."

  
Adrien flinched at that. "You don't know what you're talking about."

  
"Ladybug is a fantasy, and you know it. To even get close you'd have to fight Chat Noir."

  
Adrien laughed darkly. "I could take him."

  
"You are straight up delusional. He could disintegrate you with a touch!"

  
"I'll keep him at bay with my foil." He protested weakly. And lamely. His foil? _Dude_.

  
"The guy can fence too. You've seen the Darkblade footage, haven't you? He went up against your Akumatized fencing instructor. Plus those hundreds of lackies he fought before that."

  
"This conversation is ridiculous."

  
"No more than your crush on Ladybug, dude."

  
"It's not . . . argh, you just don't get it." He flopped forward dramatically onto the table.

  
"Okay, okay. Let's get back to class so you can continue not paying attention to your Marinette crush. Who you should totally ask out by the way."

  
Adrien's only response was a frustrated growl.

**Author's Note:**

> I love all kinds of feedback, especially if it helps me improve my writing. Critiques welcome!


End file.
